A grand Pickle Night in New York
(with thanks to John Rodgaard, North American Secretary of the 1805 Club)
The annual Pickle Night at the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a fundraising event for the National Museum of the Royal Navy. It is organised by The American Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (AFNMRN). The AFNMRN is a registered charity in the United States. Unlike the less formal Pickle Night events in the UK, this major calendar occasion is a formal black tie/mess dress event, with individual tickets for the dinner priced at $350 in 2019. Its founding members are Rear Admiral Joe Callo, USN Ret and his wife, Captain Sally Mcelwreath, USN Ret. Admiral Callo is a life member of The 1805 Club. Many of the members of the Pickle Night committee are also 1805 Club members.
The dinner is held in the beautiful trophy room of the NYYC (see below). Cocktails precede the dinner. Tables are named after RN ships-of-the-line that fought at Trafalgar. The dinner speaker is usually a senior Royal Navy or Royal Marine officer. The dinner concludes with a toast to the Immortal Memory. There is also a raffle of various items related to Nelson and the Royal Navy.
Dinner is served at the New York Yacht Club
In the spectacular Trophy Room of the New York Yacht Club, guests dine seated at tables named for the Trafalgar ships of the line.
In some respects, this occasion is more akin to a traditional Trafalgar Night Dinner, but it was respectfully kept separate from such in order to differentiate itself as a major fundraising event in the calendar of the AFNMRM and, we calculate, to allow guests to celebrate both events separately if they so wished!
The beautiful trophy room
New York Yacht Club's splendid Trophy Room is the venue for this annual gala fundraising evening.
2020 Pickle Night Event
With social gatherings cancelled and curtailed by the global pandemic, the AFNMRN committee have had to get thinking caps on and plan their annual event somewhat differently. So for 2020, New York Pickle Night is going to be held virtually and still aims to raise a significant sum for the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
Guests will be privy to a LIVE VIRTUAL TOUR of HMS Victory hosted by First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin. For details and to register, please see the pdf invitation below.
Plan your own Pickle Night
Click below to see a collection of ideas and templates
